Next Stop, North Pole
by Mable
Summary: While searching for a missing 1 and 2, the Stitchpunks are suddenly confronted by a train appearing in the night known as the Polar Express, and a familiar face filling the role as conductor. Now the group, and some new Stitchpunks, are aboard the train for the North Pole, but what is waiting for them at the end of the line? Will they even make it safely? (9/Polar Express)
1. Chapter 1: A Train in the Night

**Mable: This is something I haven't done in a while; a chaptered request fic. The last time I did one of these was with 'Sanest in the Asylum' and that turned out to be very fun to write. Also, I sort of had to do it as a chaptered story considering the material, just like with 6 in Wonderland. This is also the first time I will be doing a fic with someone else's characters; both Sky and Sparky are characters created by and owned by Sky, the requester. ^-^ Sky, I hope you enjoy the first chapter and I hope that I do your Stitchpunks justice! Not much else to say except that I don't own 9 or the Polar Express, Enjoy!**

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 _ **Next Stop, North Pole**_

 _Chapter One: A Train in the Night_

The first thing Nine felt when he awoke was the chill in the room. He had trying to ignore this through sleeping and groaned softly, partially wondering if he could sleep through whatever woke him. That was when a soft and warm voice called to him quietly. "Nine," It was Five, naturally, and he shook the zippered male as he leaned over his bed. "Nine, wake up." Nine finally started to waken properly and forced his optics open, "Five?" He rubbed a hand over his face in a groggy and tired way, "What time is it?

"Almost Midnight," Five explained with a clear look of concern on his face. "One and Two are both missing. Six woke me when he heard someone moving around and… and now they're both gone." Nine sat upwards in bed and looked to the one eyed male. "Did you check the chess set downstairs? Maybe they just headed down to play a game… At Midnight." It suddenly sunk in that this was undeniably weird and Nine sighed before climbing out of bed. "I'm coming…"

He followed Five out into the Library where he was somewhat surprised to see all of the others awake. "You… Waited to wake me last?" Nine asked in amusement and Five playfully joked back, "Didn't need to. Everyone else woke on their own; you're the only one who slept through feverish searching." At this moment the twins appeared, shaking their heads. Seeing this, Seven sighed and translated the action, "So they aren't in the study either. This is very strange…"

It was seldom that Seven was concerned when Stitchpunks were missing, as she herself liked having the freedom to go and come as she pleased, but this wasn't normal. Two and One weren't the kind of Stitchpunks to vanish without any sort of sign or note. She wasn't the only one baffled though as Eight paced nearby. If anything, he was ever more disturbed than ever, as he knew that One would never leave at this time of night for anything. Especially not without his bodyguard following along with him.

"His bed was cold," Eight announced to the others. "I checked it first thing. So he's been gone for a while wherever he is." There was growing urgency in the Guard's voice and Nine chimed in, "Let's not panic yet. They could've just went somewhere in the Library and we didn't see them." He was rewarded with a rattling noise from somewhere in the Library. "What's that?" Five asked and only a moment later received a very strange answer.

The walls almost seemed to shake, the floor rumbled beneath their feet, and the books on the floor shifted and started to fall off of their stacks. A loud, blaring siren echoed from outside the Library along with a mechanical grinding. The noise and rumbling slowed to a halt and the Stitchpunks stood there briefly. Then Eight suddenly charged out of the front, "What in the-?!" Seven followed as well, soon running fast enough to pass him and head into the courtyard.

The others dashed into the courtyard behind and stumbled to a halt as they stared ahead. Just beyond the snowy courtyard through a haze of snowflakes was a large, metal stretch of a monstrosity. It didn't look too much taller than the tallest Stitchpunk, which would be Eight, but it randomly being there was a shock to the system. "Is that... That's a train!" Five cried out in surprise as he saw the metal vehicle. Nine blinked and looked to him, "A… Train?" Five nodded at him, "There used to be a railway here in the city before the war."

Now Seven interrupted, "But it didn't always run directly in front of the Library." The one eyed male nodded and continued, "And this one's way too small. They used to be made to carry cargo and humans, this is- This is toy sized!" Nine dared to step forward even as Five tried to grab his arm and stop him. His hands lost their grip as the younger male continued forward to the opening of the gates. "Definitely not a toy…" Nine pointed out in awe as he stared upwards towards the glass windows where a warm glow emitted out.

Smoke poured out of the front of the train which was beyond where he could see and there was a warmth coming from the underside. The twins rushed forward beside him, clinging to his arms and peering around his body carefully before ducking down and seeing under the train. Indeed there were railroad tracks underneath the train that hadn't been there before. Seven, Five, and Six now arrived and Eight continued to wait back some ways, fully disturbed by the situation.

"Something about this doesn't sit right. Even something like this can be Machine related," Seven pointed out and looked to Eight. "Can you see in the windows?" Before the Guard could approach there was a loud creak as a door nearby suddenly opened. The twins ducked behind Seven while Six shielded back behind Five. Nine brought his Lightstaff forward almost defensively as a Stitchpunk sized being stepped out and approached the ground. In the smoke and darkness they saw a familiar face.

"One?!" Nine asked in alarm and the Stitchpunk, clearly One but dressed in extravagant clothing that looked almost like a human uniform, pulled a pocket watch out. "We're running late…" He murmured with a soft scoff, "I knew we should have taken the shorter route." Now Five dared to speak, "One, uh, what are you doing out here? In that… Train?" One looked to him in confusion and blinked his narrowed optics. "I am the conductor of this train," He announced, "I don't believe we have met. Ah, but it doesn't matter."

He raised his hand to silence Nine who was about to speak. "What does matter is that we get going right away. Come on board." Eight now wandered over, standing closest to One and staring in disbelief, "Boss, what's this? All of this?" He gestured primarily to One's outfit, but the Leader gestured to the train, "This would be the Polar Express! The only train in the world that leads straight to the North Pole." The larger stared before nodding, "Okay." Once One wandered towards the door he leaned closer to Seven, "He's as high as a kite."

Now Five chimed in, "Could he be hypnotized, like the Seamstress did?" Yet Seven shot both down. "His optics were too clear to be either, but… But this entire thing is bizarre. This can't be real!" Now One announced yet again, "Oh, but it certainly is, now are you all coming or not? This train is due to take the passenger's to the Pole before Midnight and we're running terribly late." The Stitchpunks all were hesitant until Six spoke, "I think we should go."

All optics landed on him and for a second he felt a bit self-conscious, staring back with his own mismatched ones before adding. "Maybe Two's inside. If we stay here we won't know." Seven bit her lip and started, "But if it's a trap-." The Artist interrupted her, "It can't be. Too… Too quiet. Too calm and complex." Six did have a point and finally they decided to follow their Leader onto the train. "For Two…" Five meekly murmured as he approached and Nine patted his shoulder.

They were the first to step on the train and to their surprise the inside was as delightful as they could have imagined. The train car was warm and vibrantly bathed in the same glow that could be seen from outside. Garland hung above the windows and paper snowflakes were suspended at from the ceiling, stretching in two clear lines down the train car's roof. There were lines of nicely fitted train seats covered with a clean and intact, red fabric.

To the most surprise of all, however, there were other Stitchpunks on the train that Nine and Five didn't recognize at all. A few looked back curiously as they entered in. "We should sit down," Five volunteered and sat down in one of the empty seats on the right side, in front of two already present Stitchpunks. Six slipped in beside him while Nine continued standing as the others came in. Seven ushered the twins in to a seat on the opposite side of the row as the one in front of Five and Six was filled.

She sat the twins near the window who immediately looked around and scanned anything in view. The last Stitchpunk was Eight who didn't immediately get aboard the train. Instead he stood there and simply watched the others get on before looking to One. The Leader, or conductor, now looked towards the large male. "Are you coming?" He inquired and while Eight would normally follow his leader anywhere this seemed too strange. "Yeah, no. I think I'm just gonna go back to bed and sleep this off."

One gave a firm frown. "Get on the train and stop being difficult," He commanded and Eight no longer argued. As though built into his inner metals he loyally entered into the train and dropped into the seat in front of Seven and the twins. One entered in and shut the door before addressing Nine, "You will want to sit down." Nine gave a crooked smile, "I will in a minute." One pursed his lips and checked his watch before heading down the aisle.

"Wait, about Two-." Nine began when suddenly there was a bellow from the train engine and the car shifted. Nine fell onto a knee on the soft carpet while One continued walking as though it was nothing. "Remain seated, children, and once we get moving refreshments will be served," He promised and Seven cocked a brow, "Children?" Eight shrugged, resting his arms along the back of his seat, "Everyone here looks like children compared to me." He pointed out in a casually joking way.

Nine sat down beside Five and Six on the seat and looked ahead towards the door One went through. "I wonder if Two's back there somewhere." Five became concerned as well, "Probably like One is, not acting like normal…" He whispered a bit, "Maybe we should ask around and see if the others know more about what's going on." The other two nodded and right as Nine was about to stand again One entered. He grasped ahold of a lever by the door and tugged it downwards, suddenly triggering the entire car to shift and change.

The seats turned around one another and tiny tables covered in clean, white tablecloths appeared out of the floor. Nine, Five, and Six were now looking towards the two females who had been sitting behind them, all five looking surprised, while Seven and the twins were now facing Eight. One then swung the door open wide and out came a slew of small, moving teapots with large, gem-like eyes. They wore mugs like stacked hats and one or two climbed upon each table.

They laid out the mugs on the table before tipping over and pouring a thick, brown liquid into each one, followed by a few round, puffy, white objects. The liquid was warm and smelled sweet even from ways away. One then whistled and called the teapots back, holding the door for them and allowing them into the next car. "This should warm you all for a while more. I'll be back briefly to punch your tickets so have them ready by time I return!" He insisted this final point and was gone out the door.

"We don't have tickets," Five pointed out to the others, "He just sort of… Ushered us onto the train." He made a sweeping arm motion and Six grabbed a mug carefully, afraid it would be tipped over. He then looked upwards to the female across from him; she looked almost like the twins except with a lavender hood that was currently pushed back. "Hullo," He greeted simply and he seemed a little shy, but gave a friendly, "Hi." In return.

The other female started to lower her book which Nine noticed and quickly inquired, "Do you know where we're going?" She looked to the female beside her quickly before nodding, "Well, uh, yeah. We're supposed to be going to the North Pole. Or that's what he said." She gestured after him and Nine looked back before Five continued, "Did the train just appear in front of your house too?" The female looked surprised by the question; she had long, brown leather hair. "It did! In fact before this I didn't know there was anyone else out there!"

The smaller female nodded and quietly added in, "I came with my brother." She gestured across the train past where they could angle and see, "But it was only us. Then the train appeared." Six tilted his head before looking to Nine and Five on either side of him, "So there's others out there, and the train knows." Five's brow raised and he glanced to Nine who thought. "This is pretty strange… Maybe something happened. Does anyone remember what happened before they got here?" Both females nodded.

"I was awake writing- My name's Velvet, by the way." The brown haired one introduced. Five stuck his hand out over the table, "I'm Five." He greeted, "This is Six and Nine. Across the way is Seven, the twins, Three and Four, and Eight." Now the smaller female introduced herself as well, "I'm Sky. I was already in bed when the train came, but it woke us when it passed by. We were tired after trying to put the rest of the Christmas decorations up." Six started to reach over the table to shake the hand of Sky in a friendly way, since they were closest.

"Nice to meet you. My… Hands are covered in ink," The Artist seemed to suddenly realize and winced at the blackness on his hand. Sky began to reach back when he pulled away to wipe his hand on his side. He then returned it and she smiled and gave it a shake. "Wait a minute…" Five began quietly before gasping, "Wait, it is Christmas! Isn't it?! December twenty-fifth, right?!" He looked towards Nine and Six, "That's too coincidental! It has to be connected." Now Sky nodded with a playful smile, "It definitely is! I think he's taking us to see Santa Claus."

The three were confused and Sky was surprised that they didn't understand. "…Because he lives in the North Pole?" She suggested and Nine quizzed, "Is he… A human?" Sky blinked in surprise and now Velvet took over, opening her book, "There's a picture in here. He's more… He's a human, but a legend. Sort of like a mythical or magical being." She showed the open book to them, showing a wall of text along with a small picture of a red clad man with a white beard and a jolly smile carrying a bundle.

"I never heard of this!" Five sputtered in surprise, "I mean, I've heard of Christmas with trees and gifts, but not a magical human!" Six nodded beside him, "I've seen him in a book. The twins know." They looked as though preparing to ask the twins, but they looked too busy studying and poking at the white marshmallows in their hot chocolate. "Humans believed that Santa Claus would come into their homes and leave gifts. It was based off of a Saint who used to leave gifts in stockings. Or that's what the book says," Velvet explained.

"I've heard of that too!" Five insisted before realizing he was getting overeager and a little bashful. "We haven't seen him so far," Sky explained, "But a lot of humans believed in him, so I… I could believe it." She was almost embarrassed by this and Nine quipped in, "Well, if he was magical that would explain how he survived the machines, and I can believe anything after all of this!" Six meekly added in, "I could still be asleep. I won't know yet. Not until the ink creatures start appearing."

Nine looked around and noticed a pale male Stitchpunk in the seat behind them. "Maybe we can ask around and see if the others know more than One told them." He leaned over the seat, "Excuse me?" The male looked back to him, pushing back his red and black cape. "Do you remember anything before getting on the train?" The male paused, looking off to the corner, and then quipped, "Being the Fabrication Machine." Nine stared at him before the male casually remarked, "Glad to see you got that hole patched."

He was looking over the seat toward Five who looked back in confusion, having not been paying attention. Nine tensed and suddenly slid into his seat, then under the table and out into the aisle. "I'm going to go look for Two," He spoke and headed off. Five blinked and looked back to the girls, "Have you see a shorter Stitchpunk male? He's older, wears a vest, pretty friendly and most likely would've been trying to figure out how the train worked?"

Velvet blinked and thought before answering, "I haven't. The oldest Punk here is definitely the conductor." Though right afterwards Sky spoke, "But I have!" She smiled as they looked to her. "I couldn't… I couldn't talk when I got on the train, but earlier there was a man wandering around who helped me. He was going to help my brother too, but he went to get the parts and didn't come back." Now Five was somewhat concerned, but partially relieved, "So he's okay. That's- That's great!"

Over with Nine, he headed to the door and tried it, only to find it locked. "One locked the door behind him?" In alarm he looked back and towards the door on the other side, but shrugged that off. "If anything's being hidden it is definitely on the other side of the locked door..." He noticed that Five and Six were till distracted, so he instead approached Seven and the twins. "Three, Four?" He inquired and the two looked to him eagerly. "I need your help. You know about trains; is there a way to unlock the doors or get past?"

The twins' optics flickered and they looked upwards in thought before flickering between them. Seven looked over to Nine and inquired, "The door is locked? Only One could be this paranoid." She sighed and rubbed her forehead before the twins waved to Nine. They gestured upwards to the roof. "Up?" Nine asked in confusion. They nodded and now Four pointed towards the opposite door to the back of the train, Three still pointing towards the ceiling. "On the roof? You… You want me to climb on the roof?"

At first the thought seemed baffling as Nine realized climbing on the top of a moving train would be dangerous, but he went along with the idea anyway. They both nodded and Seven looked to them in disbelief, "That doesn't seem very safe? Maybe we should just wait until One comes out and jump him."

She looked to see if she caught Eight's attention, but he was leaning back talking to a female on the other chair. "At least twenty, all taken out with a couple of swings by my knife," He was bragging to the female with the leather patched legs. "Oh, that's amazing! But weren't you frightened?" She asked and he casually remarked, "Beasts don't scare me."

"I might need to go with you," Seven added in to Nine who gave a crooked smile, "I'd be glad for the help, if you're willing to climb on the roof with me." The twins slipped out from under the table and headed to the back of the cart, opening the door together and heading through. Nine gave Five a wave to signal their leaving and continued through. The next car was entirely empty and the one past that was the caboose, where there was a ladder to the roof. Seven climbed as Nine turned to the twins.

"Now you two can't follow us. This'll be dangerous so you'll need to return to the seats." They nodded as Seven slid back down the metal ladder, "It's too dangerous for us too." Nine was baffled at the comment, especially coming from Seven, "What?" She shook her head, "It's covered in snow and there's no way to hold on securely without sliding right off the edge. We'll just have to try getting through the door," She started to usher the twins back inside as Nine looked out behind the train. What he saw shocked and amazed him.

There were travelling along a track surrounded by tall, snowy mountains that he was certain didn't exist around the immediate Emptiness. He couldn't fathom how they got that far already. "Nine?" Seven inquired, "Coming?" The zippered male hesitated before nodding, "Yeah. I'm just going to look at the view for a minute. Head inside, it's cold." She nodded and coaxed the twins inside. As they were gone now the male mentally admitted to himself that there was something certainly amiss.

" _We shouldn't be here, in a train, in the middle of nowhere…"_ Nine huffed and turned before grabbing onto the cold ladder, " _I'm going to figure this out."_

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 **Mable: There's also a cameo of a friend of mine's Stitchpunk for fun. XD Anyway, the next chapter shall be posted as soon as it is ready. I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2: On Thin Ice

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I'm still trying to pull all of the threads together in time for Christmas, but I think that I'll be able to hit my deadline at this rate! 83 Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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 _ **Next Stop, North Pole**_

 _Chapter Two: On Thin Ice_

The wind whipped around Nine's body as he stood on the top of the train. Part of him suddenly wondered if he was making a mistake as he started to step along the thick snow, using it to somewhat secure his footing between the movement and wind. After passing along the caboose he jumped the small gap to the second cart, then walked along the top of that one to the next gap, then at this time jumped over again. The snow on this cart was thinner and as he landed his foot hit the slick roof of the train instead of the snow.

Thankfully he merely fell onto his front instead of plummeting off the side. He groaned and lifted himself, only to suddenly notice a light close by that he hadn't before. It looked like a fire on top of the next train car and he started to stand again before continuing onwards. Soon, after leaping to the next car, he found what looked to be a Stitchpunk sitting at a fire. The Stitchpunk sat on a box with a back turned towards him, wearing a patched jacket at some sort of page looking hat on his head. "Umm, hello? What are you doing on top of-?"

The Stitchpunk turned around to face him and he gasped, "Two!" The Inventor smiled at his cry and responded, "I could ask you the same thing! Seems difficult to lose your way all the way to here!" He gestured to another box on the other side of the fire, "Sit, sit! Warm yourself by the fire." Nine moved and sat down as instructed, studying the older Stitchpunk. It occurred to him that Two was like One was, as he wasn't acknowledging anything strange about what was going on, and didn't seem to recognize him.

"What are you doing on top of the train?" Nine asked in confusion and Two chuckled, "Sitting at a bonfire, of course! Couldn't make one inside with all of One's pestering about safety. It's not as though safety is a problem on a train like this; we all know there's something different about this train." Nine blinked and tilted his head, "What do you mean?" Two opened a small tin and sorted through it, "Well, no train travels this distance in such a short time in these conditions. Whether it's enchanted or elsewise it is certainly not normal."

He then offered the open tin to Nine. "Sufganiyah?" He offered and the male peered in to see a group of small, dough spheres. They were covered in white powder which looked like snow and red gel oozed out. "Umm… Sure," Nine shrugged and lifted one to look it over. "Do I eat it?" Now Two actually laughed, "Of course you eat it! Go on." Now he took a bite out of it and a sweetness filled his mouth. He sighed in delight at the taste and smiled, feeling as the item seemed to dissolve in his mouth.

Two ate one as well and Nine dared to ask, "So I thought that you were in the front of the train, as One locked the door behind him." Suddenly Two flinched and sat upwards in alert. "Oh dear, I should be getting on down there…" He stood quickly and grabbed two rectangular pieces of metal. As he touched them they unfolded and lengthened, then he tethered them to his feet. "Climb on the back of my skis. I'll take us both down to the front in a flash." Nine was surprised at the sudden change, but agreed, and a metal box was put into his hands.

"And hold the sweets. We don't want to lose them," Two pointed out playfully with a wink. He then braced himself and now climbed on the back on the boards or skis. Two lifted two metal poles from under the snow and used them to push off. Nine clung to Two's back as they suddenly started to slide down the train that seemed to suddenly take a downward decline. The zippered male tried to see through the dark and the snowflakes, but was unable to as they continued to slide down.

"We're jumping in three, two, one-!" Before Nine could even question it the shorter was hopping, the skis coming with him and Nine unsure how he lifted him as well. The skis landed on the next cart and they rode down until Two repeated. "This is the tricky one! When we jump start to tuck!" The zippered male didn't know what he meant about that, but managed to hold on as they hopped off of the cart. Suddenly Two ducked down and plummeted into an open entrance to the next cart. Nine followed down, tumbling over a mound of coal and onto the floor.

Two managed to land on his skis and feet where he started to undo them, "Are you alright?" Nine pushed himself upwards with a groan, "Yeah, that was just a… Rough… Landing…" His optics now turned to look at the large set of train control stretched out before them. "So this is the front of the train?!" He was in awe and Two chuckled, "It certainly is! I-." Suddenly the door opened and there stood One with Seven, Three, and Four behind him. "Ah hah! I knew it!" He accused and moved forward.

"One, wait-." Nine was about to explain when One passed him and faced Two. "You've been running around on the roof again, haven't you?! I suppose you were what was banging around up there!" Two gave an innocent smile and the zippered male looked to Seven, "How did you get One to let you through?" She got an amused look, "I knocked." An embarrassed smile passed Nine's lips as he looked over towards the older males. "You're supposed to be driving the train, and why on Earth are you dressed like a transient?!"

"I'm not dressed like a-," Suddenly Two stopped as he looked out of the front window, and gasped in alarm. He hurried over and continued to look out. "The water's high…" One tilted his head and crossed to the front, looking out and sputtering. "What water?" Seven suddenly asked before moving closer and seeing past to what was up ahead. "Is that a lake?" Two nodded and fooled with a crank above him, "It is. Unfortunately the water is above the tracks."

One sputtered and looked to him, "Is the ice thin enough to break through? Submerging the wheels can't…" Suddenly he noticed the twins there and gestured to them. "You two, head back to your seat. It's not safe for children to be here, especially not now!" The twins looked confused at each other and the Leader started to guide the two out, through the next train car, and Seven followed, "I'll tell the others." Nine nodded and stayed with Two. The next car was, oddly enough, darkened and full of old toys shoved into the seats almost lazily.

Three and Four looked around curiously as One desperately tried to coax them along, finally getting them through the door and nearly running into a couple of Stitchpunks standing there. Five stumbled back as the Leader suddenly stepped out, Three ducked and slid past him, and Four walked right into a Stitchpunk that almost resembled her. It took her aback to see the Stitchpunk; it's hood matched her own, height too, but it color scheme was of black and grey tones, and it didn't look to be of the same material.

He stared at her and she stared back before reaching out and grasping her twin by the hood, pulling her back. Three stared as well at the silent male who looked between them in confusion. Then he suddenly got a slight smile of confusion and amusement. The twins saw it and then suddenly pounced, starting to search and study him. "Everyone, may I have your attention?" One called across the train and the Stitchpunks looked to attention.

"We will be hitting rough tracks in a short while. I need you all to seated, including you triplets," He gestured to the twins and the new Stitchpunk before hesitating, "Or… Including you three. Remain seated until we get past." Seven tapped Five's shoulder and caught his attention, then gestured back towards the front of the train. "We found Two. He's running the train, apparently." Five gasped and hurried past towards the front of the train while she crossed over towards the twins.

"Come on, you two. Leave that poor boy alone and come sit down," she guided, Four waving goodbye to the male and Three giving an apologetic smile. The male waved back and headed over to where Six, Sky, and Velvet were still seated. Seven didn't really want to sit patiently and wait for whatever was coming, but she knew it was best to get them seated. Meanwhile Five entered into the front, seeing Two and smiling wide, "Two!" The Inventor looked back and got a smile past his worry, "Five, my boy! I didn't-…"

He suddenly stopped and stared as though in a brief daze. He blinked a bit until Nine shook his shoulder, "Two, the ice!" The older male finally was pulled back to reality, "Sorry, I… I had a strange feeling like I was… Forgetting something- Don't worry about it." He looked back to the lake while Five blurted out in dread, "Wait, what ice?" Nine answered him quickly, "The tracks are iced over." Now Two hissed a bit, "Oh, this isn't good…" He looked around desperately before pulling levers, "Our best bet is to go faster, and maybe we can break through the ice and continue on safely."

He sounded doubtful and pressed on, and suddenly the train hit the ice. To their horror the ice didn't break, and the train suddenly skidded off of the ice. Two gripped the throttle tightly while Nine and Five both cried out in horror. Meanwhile in the back the carts suddenly shifted awkwardly. The sudden motion was enough to send everyone off balance. One even fell over, catching himself on the back of a seat. Seven managed to brace the twins, but Eight who was leaning out of his seat fell directly into the aisle, the female Stitchpunk he was flirting with managed to hold herself onto the table.

Six looked out the window and sputtered, "We're sliding! We're sliding on the ice!" Sky gasped and looked for her brother across the train, Seven's optics widened and she struggled to regain footing, and Velvet began to hyperventilate with, "We can't tip, right?! The train's made so it can't tip!?" One straightened as the train began to level and looked towards the front. "What on Earth-?!" Suddenly there was a loud cracking along with the cart shifting back and the Leader cried out, "The ice is breaking!"

He called towards Two in the front, struggling to make it to the front past the toys that had tipped over, "Two, the ice! You have to go faster! We'll sink!" Naturally Two heard his cry, but all he could do was keep the speed even, though high, and focus on aiming the train. "Five, grab that lever on the right wall and wait for my command!" The one eyed male rushed over and grabbed ahold of it, waiting for when he was going to be told. Nine looked to Two, "What is it?"

"It's a master break that controls the wheels on the passenger cars. If I get us lined I'll use it to keep the back wheels from moving and risking turning us further," The Inventor explained and stared forward. This was when One burst in, "The back of the train broke through!" Two didn't look away from where he was going and continued forward, "I was afraid of that." One looked ahead as well across the seemingly endless lake, before Nine pointed out, "Look! Land!" Now the older males could see it and knew that they had to be precise.

Back in the train, Seven managed to look through the back door and saw what happened, "The caboose is underwater and flooding! The next cart's starting to follow, and then it'll be ours!" She called back to the others. Now the pale male Stitchpunk called over, "There should be a release between train cars. We'll have to sacrifice the back two or we'll all go under!" Seven looked to him and nodded before Eight stood and started to approach, "I can do it. I'm strong enough to pull any release and can use physical force if I have to."

Seven nodded and the female Stitchpunk with the leather legs called after him, "Oh, be careful, Mister Guard!" The Warrior glance to the Guard and raised a brow, "You're a 'mister' now?" She smirked as he silently moved by and started down the sloped cart. Six watched his friends go and suddenly became alert, looking to Sky and Velvet, "The weight could break the ice more. We need to move everyone closer to the front." Velvet looked anxiously towards him, clutching her hair tightly, "Do you think the front will crack too?"

"No, I don't," Six assured as he stood, "Or it would've already." He looked almost nervously to the other Stitchpunks before instructing, "W-We need to move further to the front. We need to get further away from the sinking carts!" At first they simply stared until Six insisted, "I mean it! We have to go!" Finally the Stitchpunks started to hurry, the albino leading with his two companions behind him, then the twins who hurried past, then the patched legs female, a green hooded male, Velvet, Sky and her brother, who was the male the twins ran into, and finally Six himself.

The next car was a mess with all of the scattered toys and it didn't help that the lights were out. The Stitchpunks stumbled around in the dark until the twins alit their optics. Now they could see some and first thing they did was point out the window at the ice cracking. It was no longer behind the train and now cracked in large fissures on each side of them. In the back Eight and Seven had to creep down into the filling, icy water until Eight managed to force the other door open and lean down, trying to kick the release between the carts.

It wasn't until the water was nearing his neck that he stopped and looked to Seven. "I can't do it! The water is slowing me down!" The pale female looked back at the cart they were in, also filling, and now looked to him again, "This one's release should still be above! We'll let them both go!" The Guard nodded and she helped tug him out quicker, then the two hurried to the next one. Now Eight brought out his knife and Seven brought out her spear. The two went at the connection at the same time and finally it gave.

Both got securely onto the next train car as they watched the two splash into the water and begin to sink. The ice was cracking worse than before, but the train was now skidding on the ice again, going faster than before. Two noticed this from his driving as they suddenly began to move faster along the ice. He knew they would swerve if they waited. "Pull the break! I'll handle it!" Five did so, there was a skidding noise, and they started to approach the tracks on the other side of the lake, nestled in a crevice between two cliffs.

"The ice!" Nine pointed out as the ice cracked around the train, closer towards the front. "Two!" One began, looking to the male who was focused, "Steady…" He answered, pulling a lever to shift the train slightly to the side, aiming it. One watched in agony, as did Five behind him whose optic was wide and mouth gaped open. Nine ran to the door to head into the next car, "I'll warn the others!" He stepped over to the next car only to open the door and suddenly be face to face with the albino male.

"Gah!" He cried out in alarm and the male responded dryly with, "Please tell me you were screaming at me and not something else going wrong." Nine tensed and decided to lie, "I, uh… I was screaming at that puppet hanging at the ceiling." The albino looked unimpressed, "Don't spare my feelings-." He looked back and saw the puppet Nine lied about, stared, and shivered, "…Forget the caboose, that's the thing that should've been dumped into the ocean." Nine honed in and gaped in shock, "Into the ocean? What are you…?"

Six interrupted from the other side of the cart, "Seven and Eight are coming back! They did it!" Nine started down towards the other side before tripping over a box of building blocks and face planting in the carpet. All of the Stitchpunks just stared at him until he scrambled to his feet, passed Six, and opened the door to reveal Seven and Eight waiting on the other side. "We did it, but it's not going to mean anything if we can't get off of the ice," Seven pointed out and the others nodded.

In the front the remaining three were desperately holding on. "Two…" One started quietly and Two insisted, "Trust me, One…" Five held on tightly before blurting out, "We survived the Machine only to die like this!" One turned back and gave him a slightly unimpressed look, "We aren't… Machine?" His optics widened out of slants and suddenly he seemed to have a realization. Then, suddenly, there was a bang and the entire train shivered as it came in contact with the tracks. A few seconds passed, then Two began to laugh in delight.

"Yes!" He cried out as the train rose out of the water and followed the tracks, "Yes! We've made it past! We're in the clear!" Five smiled in immediate relief and One almost collapsed against the wall. The Healer turned and ran back towards the doorway to head through and inform the others. Two affixed the train and then separated himself from the controls. He rested his arms behind his back and playfully approached One with a teasing smile, "I suppose that's impressive for a hobo?" He smirked and One lazily looked back at him.

"Only for someone who dresses like one." He actually got a glimpse of a smile and as a reward Two patted his shoulder, chuckling playfully. Meanwhile Five burst into the toy filled car. "It's good! Two got us on the tracks, we're safe!" Everyone cheered in delight at the news. Three and Four nearly danced together, Sky hugged her brother, Six collapsed into a seat, and Nine, Seven, and Eight looked relieved. "Now, uh, let's move into the sitting car again," Five offered, "There's something unsettling about all of these broken doll parts."

The group started to move into the back again and Five followed, passing Velvet who was sitting on a seat, still looking like she was panicking. "Breathe," Five instructed, taking her hands and talking her through it. "We're safe. No more ice." She sputtered out a, "I thought it was going to sink and we were going to get trapped and drown!" The one eyed male nodded, "I… I didn't think we were going to make it either… But we did! So let's go into the back and celebrate with the others!" He smiled encouragingly and she smiled back awkwardly, but sincerely.

They led Six along as well and continued into the sitting room where the others were waiting.

* * *

 **Mable: Well, the Stitchpunks just dodged being in hot water, didn't they? Err, well, cold water more like. XD Also I keep seeing Velvet having that awkward smile of Peridot's from Steven Universe. It was unintentional, but I still see it there somehow. Anyway, anyway, the next chapter will be posted very soon! I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3: Down into the Mines

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I meant to post it yesterday, but had to push it back a little bit. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Next Stop, North Pole**_

 _Chapter Three: Down into the Mines_

"There you are!" Sky chirped to the three as she approached with her brother, "This is Sparky, my brother. This is Five and… And Six." She slightly hesitated between the names as she looked to the striped male. Honestly, she wanted to thank him for being so bold and leading them away earlier, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Sparky gave a nod and a wave at the two. "You're the Stitchpunk looking for a new voice module?" Five inquired with a warm smile and the shorter male nodded.

"My mentor would probably be better at it, but I could probably take a look at it." Sparky perked and mouthed the word, "Really?" The one eyed male nodded, "Let me go look through the toy cart and see if I can find something that'll work." He looked to Six and inquired, "Can you tell Nine and the others I'll be right back?" The striped male nodded loyally. The one eyed male then turned to Velvet, resting a hand on her back, "Why don't you go sit down and rest a bit?"

The female Stitchpunk nodded and watched as he headed into the next car before taking a seat. Six was now left alone with Sky and Sparky, and for a moment he wasn't sure what to say. "Umm… it's nice to meet you," He added in and Sparky smiled to him with a nod. Sky hesitated before adding in, "Six, I… Thank you, for moving us." The Artist felt a light blush on his cheeks and grasped his key nervously, "That was- It was my job. Or it could've been the others, if they were here." He tried to explain before noticing the twins inching closer.

They were obviously not trying to alert the others, but Six needed them to come in and help the conversation. "Oh! Three, Four, this is Sky and Sparky! They're friends we met at the table." Three came forwards curiously and eagerly while Four slightly lagged. Sparky smiled to Three before waving to Four eagerly, seemingly interested in her. This spurred her on enough to move forward. "Hello, to you both! You… Kind of look like us?" She questioned curiously and now Seven spoke, "Maybe we're related. Do you live near Luxembourg?"

Both of the Stitchpunks nodded in agreement. "Outside the city a little ways. We were worried being close to the Beasts." Seven hummed and quipped, "It's very possible that somehow we are all related…" They continued to talk while the others settled in. Nine noticed them and was relieved to see them in a calm state; after everything it was a relief to have a moment of peace. As he passed Eight's seat he could see the male currently with the female with the leather legs. Unlike Seven he was wrapped in a thick blanket and seemed to be slightly shivering.

He could hear her say, "That was so brave of you, but you got yourself soaked! Here, maybe we can get you another blanket or more hot chocolate." Eight responded with a weak shift like a wave and, "I've survived worse, but that's all part of being a protector." She smiled sweetly at him and Nine was amused by the obvious fawning on Eight's part. Part of him wondered if he should be currently fawning over Seven like that, but things between the two weren't as romantic as they once had been.

Part of Nine noticed it during and after the Machine War, that his feelings had cooled a bit, and while they were still friendly he was no longer felt such a strong attraction. Instead Nine just felt like he wasn't ready for it. As he sat down in the back it occurred to him that there were a lot of things he was not ready for. Nine was basically just starting out still and there was so much he didn't know; such as what he would do now that his primary goal, to stop the Machine, was long over. Sometimes he wasn't sure what his future plans were and even now it returned to haunt him.

Before he could focus on it more, One appeared back through the door again. "Now that everyone is calmed down and everything is stable, it is time for me to take your tickets. Please check yourself and retrieve your ticket for punching," One instructed and first approached Six and his group. Six seemed to suddenly spawn a ticket out of nowhere, it almost appearing in his hands, and handed it over. One pulled out a hole punch and quickly worked and punched away. When he was finished there was an 'l' and a 'd' punched in the golden ticket which were separated by a space.

Six looked at it curiously as the four remaining Stitchpunks found their tickets hidden in their hoods, even Sparky whose hood was currently down, and handed them over one by one. Three's had a 'd' on it, Four's had a 't' on it, Sky's had a 't' as well but further down the card, and Sparky's had a 'e' on it. One then continued down the line doing others. "…'T'?" Sky questioned and Six turned the ticket over, "Maybe it means something…? It doesn't feel finished."

Now Five and Two stepped into the hall and Six looked to him, smiling, "Your ticket, Five, go see what your letter is!" Five blinked and tilted his head slightly, "What?" Now One blurted out, "What- You're not manning the train?!" He stared across to Two who waved him off. "Keep your hat on, One. We're on a stretch of flat ground for a short while, so I can't do anything but stand in the front anyway," He then looked towards Sparky, "I apologize about my disappearance earlier. I got quite a bit distracted."

He started to open Sparky who willingly and eagerly assisted, hoping to regain the ability to speak like his sister. "Very well. Just don't dawdle," One reached into Five's quiver, suddenly pulling out his ticket from seemingly nowhere and punched holes into it. Five looked to him in confusion before being rewarded with Two's expectant look. "Oh, the module! Sorry." He handed over the object, "I don't know if it will work, it's a little small." Two chuckled in amusement and checked it over, "It looks to be in good condition. You've got a good eye on you."

Five cracked a smile of amusement and One didn't look like he approached the comment. Then he handed over the ticket as Two started to work. Five's ticket was branded with a 'G' on it and nothing more. The Leader and conductor continued down the rows and branded the other tickets before arriving to Nine, who had already found his in his zipper. He handed it over and One punched the holes in it. It came out with a clear 'S' on it. As One started to leave Nine stared at it, "…It's probably a shortening of 'Save' or something…"

He didn't intend to say it loud enough to be heard, but the older male did hear and looked back at him. "You sound as though you are disappointed," He pointed out and Nine looked to him, "Is that what it means then?" One narrowed his optics in thought before answering, "I'm not certain. That's for you to figure out." He answered simply and continued along, leaving Nine more confused than before. "Now I must forewarn you all that we will be entering the mines shortly. They should be safe, but we must be careful."

He locked the door that led to the now absent next car. "There are an abundance of glowing crystals that I am certain you will be impressed with. They are breathtaking, but unfortunately they do get their glow by sapping electricity and manage to drain at the train when it is in close contact." There were a few horrified looks and One coughed, "Which is, of course, why the train runs on coal and not electricity primarily. While we will be able to continue there is a chance of the lights going out and leaving you in the dark."

A few Stitchpunks pointedly cringed at this, such as the twins and even Nine got a twitch of disturbance, and the green cloaked male even shuddered. "This shouldn't be a problem for long as the crystals should keep the train alit well enough, but we need to keep an eye out in case psychotic behavior sets in." Two choked at the comment and turned to look at One, "One, I doubt anyone's going to go 'psychotic'." He responded, "What One meant is that claustrophobia may set in and it is important to keep calm."

"What happens if the train stops?" Nine suddenly blurted out from the back and the green cloaked male blurted out as well, "It can just stop down here?!" He began to grow frantic, clutching his chair tightly. Two protested eagerly, "No, no. It shouldn't, but if it somehow did we would either try to leave the train and walk along the tracks." He was immediately interrupted by One, "Which we would absolutely not do." Two fought the urge to roll his optics and continued further.

"Or we would wait until the two way cart would arrive to retrieve us. We also have flairs and candles for lights during an emergency, but the darkness will be so quick that it would be a waste of time," He continued further in an attempt to calm. There was a crackling test of a cough from Sparky before he tried with, "You- You… You say that like it's happened before." His voice was awkward, going in and out of range, and Two leaned forward to adjust it.

Two returned Sparky's playfully joking smile, "No, no… But this Stitchpunk back here has been absolutely adamant about having everything planned to a 't'." Immediately Four raised her ticket in her own type of a joke and Sparky snickered a bit at it, now able to do so. Once the Inventor was content he gave a nod and straightened, "I'll be in the front manning the engine to make certain everything's in order." As he headed off One followed him, speaking back in a gentler but still authoritative tone.

"All of you return to your seats until after we're safely out of the mines yet again. I will return with more refreshments later." With that One was gone as well and most of the Stitchpunks moved to sit down. Sky hugged her brother, "Do you feel any different?" Sparky shrugged a little as he sat down, "Actually, not really. You?" Sky shook her head and the twins sat across from them. Six sat down beside them and Five eventually moved to go see if Velvet wanted to sit with him.

"I'm going to ask Seven and Nine if they want to sit together. Want to come sit with us too?" He invited and the female nodded eagerly. "I'd love to! Sounds better than sitting alone in the dark. Lead the way!" She chirped and stood, following him to Seven's seat. Nine was still in the back when the green cloaked male peeked over the seat on the other side of the table. "How dark do you think it'll get?" He asked and Nine shrugged a little, "I guess with the crystals it can't get pitch dark."

He then noticed something odd. "Hey… Your voice sounds kind of like mine," he pointed out and received a wide, playful smile in return. "That's not all! We kind of look similar too." He pulled back his hood to reveal his face, and Nine was shocked to see that it looked very similar to his own. "We could be twins!" The green hooded male pointed out and Nine was still in awe. "That's… That's unbelievable!" Nine cried out, smiling a bit at the sight, "You look just like- We look just like each other!"

The green cloaked male chuckled in amusement until Nine inquired, "Where were you created? Where have you been living? Do you have a number or name?" The male explained, "You probably wouldn't know about it. It's just a little, walled in city, in an old, abandoned house. My name's None. I gave it to myself a long while back, but I don't remember why really." Nine caught on to 'walled in city' and his smile started to drop. "Do you… Know about your Creator any?"

"A little. He was a Scientist, but he was… He wasn't alive when I awoke. I left his home soon after I was created. Why?" Nine's optics widened slight; he wasn't sure if this was all a big misunderstanding or not, but he couldn't help but believe it. "Because… That sounds like the Emptiness where we live in and that sounds like the Scientist who created us," Nine admitted and None's smile dropped. Now they just stared at each other with widened optics and agape mouths, not sure what to do next.

Then suddenly the train shifted at a downward slope as it entered the tunnel, the stony walls of the mines blocking the views from the windows. Small crystals began to appear one by one on the walls passing the windows until suddenly the lights flickered. None ducked down in distress and Nine leaned upwards after him, now noticing Five, Seven, and Velvet approaching. They hurried to sit down, Seven sliding in next to him, and as the crystals on the walls got larger the lights flickered even more.

"Looks like it's going dark now," Five announced and got an amused smile. "Though after all of this, we couldn't really expect something easy, right?" Nine looked at him before stating, "My twin brother's on this train." Five stared for a few seconds and was about to ask more when the lights finally died for good. There was a murmur from the Stitchpunk groups who were clearly distressed. Six especially was becoming concerned, which was predicted by Five who called over. "Six?"

"I'm okay…" He murmured, shivering a bit and sliding down in the seat. "Just a little… Claustrophobic." He looked in the direction of the nearby twins. "We can't- It won't run out of air, will it?" For an answer he felt a hand suddenly on his arm and glanced through the dim lighting to see Sky smiling at him. "It's okay, Six. We're safe. The train's moving so we won't be hear long." It seemed to ease the Artist slightly, but a new, strange sensation was tickling at his center.

As more gems appeared on the walls the train began to alight in soft colors. This part was not as expected, considering what a big deal One and Two made about the lights going out and it being dark. Yet here was the colorful glow, like a rainbow casting across the train. The twins flickered their optics in delight in an attempt to record the beauty with their optics, but were unable to do so. It was too fragile to be pictures and could only be recorded in the moment as it was. Almost all fear was drained away from every one of them.

"This is beautiful," Seven gasped as she looked out of the window. Both Five and Velvet nodded in agreement while Nine added in with a, "Yeah…" Suddenly he was soothed. That was, until suddenly the crystals halted and they were thrown into pitch blackness. There was an eerie silence until suddenly the world seemed to shift. Even in the dark there was a change of gravity and suddenly an increase of movement. "Are we- Are we going down?" Five asked in confuse before gasping as more crystals appeared.

With the light back in the cart added in with the shift he could tell for certain. "We're going down!" Five warned the others, almost falling out of his seat as the train continued to gain speed. Then, suddenly, it leveled and actually sent Five falling forwards. He fell into the center isle; Eight raised a brow at him, Velvet clenched in her mouth, and Nine called out with, "Five!" The Healer started to straighten, "I'm okay- I just-." There was another shift right as he started to fall and sent him against the table.

Now Nine jumped forward to grab ahold of him before with a final burst from the train the two were sent falling over onto the floor. Seven now partially covered her mouth in a mix of surprise and amusement, trying not to laugh at all at the scene. Velvet meanwhile tried to get out, "Uh… You two alright?" Promptly again light filled the train and the windows became uncovered. They were out of the caves and now the train climbed onto a bridge lined with tracks over an ocean frozen solid.

Three and Four suddenly leapt to the window and peered out, practically climbing on Sparky and the table. Though Four seemed to notice quicker than Three did and shuffled off of Sparky's leg, giving him an apologetic look. At first he was going to wave it off, but then remembered that he could now talk, and quickly forced out. "It's okay, no, don't worry about it!" This caused the tiny female to smile a bit, though she was still embarrassed. The door at the end of the cart suddenly opened and One stepped through.

He immediately looked down the way at Nine and Five. He quipped a brow before giving a slightly amused scoff, "I'm not surprised." He simply stated before pointing out of one of the windows, "If you look you can see the lights of the North Pole, along with the Aurora Borealis in the sky." He gestured out and now Eight asked quizzically. "So we're almost there?" One got a small smile and nodded, "It shouldn't be much longer now. Thankfully, since it's almost Midnight. We must arrive before then."

He stared out along with the others, Five and Nine managing to get to their feet, looking embarrassed as Seven now lightly giggled and the albino male sent a small smirk at them both. "Mr. Conductor?" None asked quizzically, "You never said what happens when we get there or why we're going." Nine almost gasped as he realized the male, possibly his twin, was completely right in his inquiries. Surprisingly enough One explained without hiding it and crossed to the other side of the cart and to the door.

"When we get there you will all attend the ceremony of the first Christmas gift. One of you will receive the first Christmas gift of the year from Santa Claus himself. It is a great honor bestowed by the sheer spirit of Christmas." As he peered out the back window he added in. "Though he will choose that. At the current moment I am uncertain which of you is most eligible." Seven was baffled at One's comment, "One, you believe in Santa Clause? You don't believe in anything unless you see it firsthand, and even then it needs to be hammered in to sink."

The Leader scoffed a bit and turned to her, "Perhaps… Or perhaps the most real things in life are the things you can't see." He pointedly looked to her with his hands folded behind his back, a small smile back on his mouth. The entire thing actually had Seven surprised even considering his previous change in character. He then added in to the rest of the group, "The back two carts have returned, but please don't be tempted to venture into them yet until we are certain they are fully repaired."

Eight suddenly straightened, "No. It didn't. It couldn't have." He said in alarm and the female with the patched legs stood, hurrying over to the door as the Guard started to stand in surprise. "They are!" She gasped in surprise, "I can even see the caboose way back there and… And the carpet's even still wet!" The larger male couldn't believe it. "They sunk into that lake; how are they back again!? That doesn't make sense!" It was at this point that Six chimed in with delight.

"It's just the train's magic! How else would we have survived the ice, and go through the cave fine, and now going to the North Pole while it's still Midnight?" Six's explanation held water when stated like that and there was a calmness settling over the coach. The Stitchpunks stared out at the approaching lights with a growing wonder and delight. They were almost at their destination.

* * *

 **Mable: Finally they're almost there! Almost to the North Pole and to whatever waits there! I hope everyone enjoyed and the next chapter will be posted very, very soon!**


	4. Chapter 4: Arriving at the City

**Mable: Hello again! This was supposed to be posted last night, but internet fell when storms rolled in unfortunately, so it looks like this ones coming out a bit later than I imagined that it would be. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Next Stop, North Pole**_

 _Chapter Four: Arriving at the City_

The North Pole was getting closer every minute and the Stitchpunks aboard the train were getting antsy. They were beginning to stand and move around the cart, to One's disturbance and increasing anxiety. Nine stretched out his back briefly and stood from the table. "I'm going to stretch my legs," He offered to the others and the other three looked to him. "Alright, we won't tell One so he doesn't come after you," Seven offered to the male. With a nod, the male started to turn to leave when Five stopped him.

"Wait, if you're going…" He stopped him. "I know One said it was dangerous, but Six and Sky went back into the caboose to look out the back. Could you go get them?" Now the Warrior nodded in agreement, "If he notices that they went back there he's liable to flip." Nine nodded and agreed with them both, "Alright. I'm not worried; it's not like we're riding on the water anymore. Just… over it." He playfully quipped with an amused smile and headed to the door, opening it to step out.

"Watch out for that first step," the albino male quipped from the other seat, oddly enough now reading the book that Velvet had. Nine quipped a brow, "What do you mean?" Immediately the pale male smirked in response. "Just to watch where you step. We don't want another clumsy trip." Nine frowned at the comment and held back an embarrassed blush, then headed out through the door. He stepped over into the next cart and then started to head back towards the caboose.

Midway down the line of seats he abruptly was interrupted by a voice. "Wandering on your own?" Nine jumped and looked over to see Two stretched out on a seat. "I thought you were in the front of the train." The older male chuckled and crossed his legs tiredly, keeping his optics closed. "I came back here for some peace and quiet, and a proper break. It's not much longer until we arrive at the North Pole." Nine smiled at the comment and inquired, "Have you been to the North Pole?" The Inventor hesitated before nodding, "Of course."

Something seemed strangely hesitant about the way he said that and Nine pried further, "You've… Been on this train for a while though, right?" Maybe there was a way he could talk Two out of whatever hypnosis this was overtaking him. Yet Two seemed to suddenly shrug and relax, "Time on this train isn't exactly constant, my boy. Notice it's been Midnight, or just about to be Midnight, since you've gotten on board." Nine had noticed this but assumed it was One's clock being wrong.

Now that Two pointed it out it seemed that the phenomenon was actually a real thing. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get Six and Sky from the caboose." As he passed Two abruptly sat upwards, "Be careful!" The zippered male looked confused and the older added in. "More specifically, don't step on the connector between the trains. It sustained some damage and hasn't properly regenerated. It shouldn't be a problem if you just don't step on it." The younger male nodded, thanked him, and continued onwards into the last car.

There he could see Six and Sky on the other side, peering out into the night. The back of the train showed the icy ocean stretching out, the long bridge, and the sky full of lights that were colored like rainbows. As he moved closer he could hear the two talking amongst themselves. "But I don't have enough colors for it," Six explained almost sadly, "I only have black. I don't mind black ink, but I- I can't make this." Sky was a bit more hopeful about it, "Maybe Santa will give you more ink for your gift."

"That would be nice… But what if I don't get the first gift? Then I might not get one. What if he forgets?" He was rather curious and Sky paused before insisting, "He won't forget you. I promise." She pushed back her hood as she looked towards the sky again, revealing her own tuft of brown yarn. It was groomed better than Six's who tended to get his own yarn ink stained. Nine creeped forward more and continued to listen in as Six murmured, "Can you tell me what you want for Christmas?" As though it was an intimate question.

"Well… It's kind of silly…" Sky admitted and Six got an encouraging smile, "Please? I can't be sillier than ink." She smiled back and explained, "I-I sort of want a companion or a pet to take care of, but I don't know if Santa can give that. After all, all the animals are gone now. I don't even know if Santa would even still have his reindeer." Six smiled in assurance and added in, "I'm sure he could get you one. There has to be some out there somewhere." Sky smiled back at they spent a quiet moment just like that until they looked back to the sky.

Nine realized that this wasn't the time to interrupt and stepped back to the door and exited out of the caboose. He shut the door before crossing to the next and opening it. He stepped in only to have a disturbing, white face right in front of him, with a stretched smile and empty holes for eyes. "Surprise!" The puppet announced and Nine let out a cry in alarm and stumbled back. He barely managed to grab the side of the doors to stop himself. Immediately afterwards a metal hand came out to grab ahold of him as well.

The albino male yanked him into the car, revealing the Stitchpunk currently wielding the puppet. "What are you doing?!" Nine demanded and the male just gawked at him, "Just giving you a scare; I didn't expect you to dive backwards." Nine frowned in embarrassment and replied with, "Wouldn't you have?" He gestured to the puppet and the albino male looked to it, staring briefly. "…Yes. I apologize, perhaps that was a bit too cruel of a joke." He sounded sincere enough with his apology and Nine looked slightly suspicious, but nodded.

"Just… Burn that thing when you're finished." The pale male started to chuckle in amusement at the comment. "I might just do that. I'm Child." Nine started before asking, "I thought you said you were the Fabrication Machine." The pale male quipped a brow, "Maybe, but my name is Child," he pointed out. Nine smiled a bit and replied, "I'm Nine… Though you probably already knew that." The pale male retorted with, "I'm sure I've seen your back once or twice." The zippered male playfully replied with, "I'm sure you have."

Suddenly Child got a strange look as though Nine had made a quip of some kind, even though the younger male hadn't intended to. "Is Two still here?" Nine moved further down the row and looked in to see that the Inventor was missing. "I guess not… Come on. Let's get back to our seats." They started forwards and Nine opened the door while Child tossed the puppet onto a seat on the way. They entered into the car and Nine sat down beside Seven who was looking out the window. Velvet was still there and Five was now standing, peering out.

"What do you see?" Nine offered before looking out and seeing it for himself. They were currently heading through the gate at the large walls around the North Pole city. Child sat down beside Nine and watched as well, seeing the brief tunnel of stone before the city opened to them. The buildings were all lined with beautiful Christmas lights; some with just one color, some with a mix of red, green, gold, silver, blue, and more. Icicles hung down like crystals and streetlights were alit with lovely candles.

Seven could see towards the front of the train better and saw something in the distance. "It looks like there's a large tree ahead. It's taller than the Cathedral's tower was!" The twins heard her and wrestled with the window before pushing it open, poking their heads out with Sparky's own. Seven gave an amused smile, "Never mind. There seems to be something blocking my vision." The train started to slow down and smoke briefly danced along the windows before fading off. It wasn't until the train came to a stop when One suddenly entered the car again.

"Alright everyone, the time is now! Everyone stand, stand in single file in the center of the car, and I'll open the door to guide us out." He rested his hand on a lever on the wall and waited as the others stood and pooled into the center of the room. Then he tugged down the lever and the tables all disappeared into the floor as the seats reset themselves. He then crossed to open the door and stepped out, Eight and his female companion following next. Nine noticed that Six and Sky were still in the back and looked to Five.

"We should go get Six, he's still in the caboose with Sky." Five seemed hesitant to leave because of One ushering them out, but Sparky chimed in. "I'll come with you," he offered with a smile and Five nodded, "Alright, all three of us will go. Then if One sees us he'll know we're, well, doing something." He rested a hand on Velvet's shoulder, "We'll be back in a minute. Tell Seven we're getting Six." She nodded and headed off as well. The twins also noticed them and looked to each other.

Their optics flickered a bit as Four inquired something to her twin. Her twin eagerly nodded in agreement and nudged her along. Four headed along with the group while Three followed the others out. Nine, Five, Four, and Sparky headed through the next cart and to the caboose. Five made sure Four and Sparky got over before heading inside and Nine was last. His foot slipped on the icy mental and fell down a bit, striking part of the metal conductor between the carts. He wasn't sure what he hit and looked down to see if anything was wrong.

Nine couldn't see anything as he stood and entered into the caboose, not realizing that he had hit something a bit more important than just metal; an actual release. Nine entered into the caboose and rushed to the other side where Five and the others were telling Six and Sky to come. "Come on, guys. We don't want One to notice we're gone," Nine encouraged with a smile and the others, smiling back, followed after him. That was until the caboose suddenly started to move slowly.

It took the group aback and Six murmured, "I thought the train stopped." Right afterwards Sky looked back towards the opened back of the caboose and added in, "It's going backwards." It was as though it suddenly clicked for Five who sputtered out, "Wait, are we rolling?!" Nine sprinted forwards and looked out of the door as the cart started to gain speed as it moved backwards. He could see Two trying to run after them, but as the caboose suddenly started to plummet down a hill there was no chance.

"Should we jump out!?" Five asked in dread as he looked out. He had his answer as soon as he looked out, but Nine still pointed out, "We can't!" Four looked around desperately before grabbing Sparky's shoulder, shaking him desperately before making a lever gesture. "A lever? I don't… You mean a break?! Where?!" Four nodded and looked around desperately, but there wasn't any break to be seen on the walls. "There's a break somewhere! We have to find it!" Six insisted and started to circle the area desperately.

Some of them looked under the seats as the caboose took a sudden swerve. Nine fell onto a knee as he was bending over, "What was that?!" He looked back at Five who was looking out the caboose, frozen by fear. "We switched tracks onto another road! I don't even know where we are now!" At this time Sky called out, "It's under this seat!" Nine dashed over with Five to the seat, unlike the others they could tilt this one back and held it in place as Six reached to grab the handle, pulling it back and finding it a little difficult.

Four latched onto him and helped tug, then Sparky did as well. Sky grabbed the lever directly and helped tug back. Finally it snapped back and Six stumbled back while Four and Sparky fell in a lump, and Sky landed on her backside. The caboose screeched to a halt and now Nine, Five, and Six truly went to the floor as the others had done. After a short few moments the caboose came to an abrupt halt. Now Nine stood and offered Five his hand to help him to his feet. "Is everyone alright?"

There were groans and nods, along with a frantic moment where Four noticed she was atop Sparky, blushed furiously, and dove off of him. Sky helped Six to his feet as well while Nine looked out of the door, seeing where they were. They were tucked into a small alley with tall homes and buildings on each side, still heavily decorated with lights and some garland. Soft Christmas music wafted through the air as they climbed out. "It should be that way. We'll just follow the tracks, right?" Five offered to the others and they nodded.

"Seems like a good plan… Unless they get up and move somewhere," Sparky playfully teased and his sister nudged him, silently pointing out that the others looked thoroughly disturbed. He coughed and awkwardly followed the others who began to follow the tracks. Along the way Nine's curiosity got the best of him, "I wonder who lives in all of these houses." He offered and approached one of the windows to peer in, wiping the fog off of the window. "Will they mind us looking in?" Six asked and Four hurried over to look in.

Before she could Nine moved back, slowly looking to the others. There was disturbance on his face that now dragged them all to attention. "Nine? What did you see?" Five inquired and Nine responded with, "Nothing…" The one eyed male was confused, "Oh… Well, uh, then I guess we should keep going." Nine corrected, "No, Five, I saw _nothing._ It's completely empty inside." He turned back to peek in again, "No furniture no decorations, no Stitchpunks or humans…. There's just a light on."

The others, except Five, now grouped around and attempted to look in as Nine crossed to the next house and peered in. Again there was nobody inside and it was somewhat haunting. Yet the group still moved further along the street, trying to follow the tracks and yet still finding themselves walking in circles around the city until they crossed through a tunnel under a bridge. They planned to simply continue going onwards when Nine noticed a metal door and, trying it, found it unlocked.

"…Let's try this way," He offered and was met with facial hesitance. "Guys, we know something's strange here. One and Two don't remember anything, the houses are empty, we've been brought to the North Pole by a Stitchpunk sized train; there's something wrong." The others looked to each other before Six quietly murmured, "Yeah… Something's… Different," He slowly voiced, "It's wrong. Something's wrong here. It's so empty."

Nine nodded in agreement, "And I trust your feelings much better than I trust my own. What if this is a trap and we go back to the others only to be trapped, unable to find out the truth. This is our only chance." The others were hesitant; Sparky and Sky looked to each other, Four got a concerned look, and Five rubbed his neck. "I…Okay… But let's- Let's not touch anything we do find," The healer caved and Nine nodded as he opened the door, showing a dark staircase.

He lit his Lightstaff which he had thankfully carried with him when they went to get Six and Sky, as he thought that they were getting off of the train. He led the way with Five behind him and the other four sort of grouped behind him. The staircase smelled dark as though it hadn't been aired out in a long while. Once they arrived near the bottom a soft, flickering light filtered through the stairwell. They finally stepped out into a large room that immediately caught them off guard. It was none other than an empty factory of some kind, or a portion of one.

The lights were on, but the machinery looked to have been out of use for a very long time. Dust and cobwebs clung along the walls and empty conveyer belts stretched across the room. "What is this place?" Nine asked in disturbance, "A factory under the city?" At this time Sky pointed across the room, "Over there, look at all of the wrapping paper!" Indeed there were unused rolls of wrapping paper resting nearby, their sheen seemingly long gone. "This must be where Santa makes and wraps his presents," she deduced.

"But why is it like this?" Sparky asked back. "Why is it a factory anyway? I thought he had a workshop." It was now when Five guessed, "Quicker, maybe? He'd only have to make a design and then the factory would make copies." They continued forward down the steps when Six suddenly caught something, "Wait…" The others came to a halt and he clutched his key in dread, "Is it me or is the size…?" Nine blinked and looked around, "What do you…?" That's when he suddenly noticed it and it disturbed him to.

It was like a line across the room where the Stitchpunk sized area suddenly changed to be larger. The factory machinery was human sized, the steps suddenly went from little to small, and even the roof raised higher at this line. "What is this?" Nine asked quietly and didn't expect any sort of answer. The group continued to walk along through the factory together, revealing empty offices and work spaces that looked like they were for average or smaller humans, but definitely larger than the dolls themselves.

Abandoned corkboards displayed pictures of toy designs and it looked like whoever had been working had been planning toys. Four also pointed out a large board on the wall that was separated into lines as though showing a list. She alit her optics and shined them closer in an attempt to brighten the board, but her light wasn't far enough to do so. Regardless they could read the words 'nice' and 'naughty' at the top along with nothing underneath it. The twin turned her light off sadly and Sparky rested a hand on her shoulder before giving her a hug.

"Santa had a nice and naughty list," Sky explained to the remaining three. "Nice children would get toys and naughty children would not be given toys, or sometimes they would be given coal instead." Six looked over to her and meekly asked, "So there's supposed to be names?" She nodded and he quietly, and grimly added in, "I guess… There's no more names to put there." Nine suddenly looked at Five with optics as wide as saucers as though he'd give him answers. "Is that it?"

Five stared back and Nine continued further. "Is that why this place is like this? Because all of the humans are gone?" Five got a slightly more surprised look before looking downwards, releasing a soft noise like a sigh or a gasp. Nine looked back to the board when Six spoke, "Over there!" All of them looked over as Six started to rush along the way. "Six, wait! It might not be safe!" Five called after and followed with him and the others. The Artist dashed across the factory before coming to a sudden stop before a large, metal door.

"Sleigh Room?" He quietly read beside the door before looking back, "The light through the window is brighter. I think something's been moved in there recently." Now Sky nodded in agreement, "That could be why this room has its lights on too!... But how do we get inside?" The group looked around until Four saw a conveyer belt that led into a slot in the wall relatively close to the door. She tapped both Nine and Five on the arms before pointing forwards to it. They saw it before getting an idea.

"Leave it to me," Five murmured and approached the belt before pulling out one of his grappling hook clusters. He loaded it into his weapon and aimed, shooting it upwards and managing to hook it on the edge of the belt. Once it was deemed secure he started to climb with the others following. They then followed the belt through a flap and into the next room. It was significantly smaller and had many various belts leading in to the center of the room where something new waited. It was a large, red bag that looked about double the size of Eight.

"Did Santa have a bag?" Nine asked Sky who nodded, staring at it in awe. Now Four took the lead and grasped Sparky's hands, putting them on her shoulders and standing before him. "Uh… Huh?" he asked until her optics alit and showed a picture of Santa Claus on the belt below, somewhat faded on the dark surface. "She gets a little disoriented during this. She needs someone to hold her," Five explained with a smile before looking down. "So the bag is Santa's gift bag!... I wonder if those are our gifts in that bag."

"It's our ticket out of here for sure. Look up there!" Nine pointed to show an open section of the roof. "I think that stage that the bag is on will actually lift it and that will lead us to the street; then we'll be able to follow the gifts to the others!" They followed the conveyor belt the rest of the way before hopping down on the bag and lowering themselves to the stage. It didn't take them long until they found a lever set of levers on the wall that were marked with 'raise' and 'lower'. Once again Five used his cluster grapple to hook on.

The group used their weight and strength to tug the lever down. Immediately the lift let out a creaking noise along with a gust of steam. It then started to gradually rise towards the surface of the street. They didn't know what was coming, but wanted answers and had a feeling they were going to get them.

* * *

 **Mable: So the plot thickens a bit more. What has happened to the North Pole and why are they actually here? All to be revealed on the next chapter, which I have every intention of posting tomorrow unless my internet dies again and I'm forced to post the next day. I doubt it because the thunderstorms have seemed to wane, so I'm certain all will go well! I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Gift of Christmas

**Mable: Well, this didn't go anywhere near according to plan posting-wise, but at least I got a longer chapter for the finale. I hope everyone** _ **had**_ **a happy holidays and still enjoys the chapter even though they have passed. I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Next Stop, North Pole**_

 _Chapter Five: The Gift of Christmas_

The group of Stitchpunks were raised into some sort of plaza, close to the tall Christmas tree in the center of the city. The area was heavily decorated with lights and more while, and yet the group noticed quickest the nearby train and the other group of Stitchpunks. "Hey! Over here!" Nine called to them and soon the remaining Stitchpunks were coming over. Two especially hurried over with a call of, "Hello, over there! How on Earth did get here again?" Four dashed forwards and was met halfway by Three who leapt onto her sister and hugged tightly.

The twins clung to each other while Seven approached to quickly check on her. "It's a long story," Five tried to pass off when One insisted, "One that you will explain." He was firm and giving them a suspicious look. The group all had either a mix of guilty stares or crooked smiles, all glad to be back on track. Before any of them could ask any questions or explain what they saw below, One checked his watch and gasped, "but not now!" Suddenly he looked to the entire group while adjusting his clothing. "Everyone, it's time! Get in position- Away from that bag, you."

Sparky got a sheepish smile and slowly inches away from the gift bag. Getting into position was mostly just the Stitchpunks standing around as One and Two stood between them and the large bag of gifts. "Here is how this will occur. When Santa appears you shall hand me your ticket for him to check, and through this I deduce that he will be able to choose the recipient of the first gift," One explained in a drawn out way. He was interrupted when Two suddenly interrupted, "There he is! Everyone, look to the star!"

The Inventor pointed to the star at the top of the tree where what looked like a swirl of wind and ice appeared around it. The star began to glow brighter and was able to be seen through the small whirlwind. Suddenly it plummeted downwards towards the ground and One made sure to guide the others back as it crashed to the ground in a small burst of sparkling frost. The noise of the rustling wind was cut through with a burst of deep and warm laughter. It should have frightened, but it sounded warm and comforting.

Then the frost disappeared and there stood a figure about the size of Eight, clothed in red and white, with a warm smile underneath a white beard. The Stitchpunks were all stared in awe not only at the fact that it appeared human, but that it was clearly none other than Santa Claus himself. He looked upon the group with an adoration that nobody had expected. "Welcome, children, to the North Pole! I have been waiting for you all." He then playfully looked to One, "Running a minute late?" The conductor sputtered and double checked his watch.

This got another rousing laugh from Santa Claus and a chuckle from Two. "Now then, let us begin! I have been waiting countless hours for little ones to come. Your gifts are reading to be given if you're ready to receive them." The twins gave excited nods and he reached forward to pat their heads. They felt it, but something was strange about his touch. It was wispy and light as though not fully there. Three and Four sent each other a confused like right after and then shrugged it off and looked to the older eagerly.

"Now let's see…" He hummed and looked through the crowd, preparing to choose. Yet before he could Nine blurted out, "Wait!" Everyone looked to him and One sputtered, "We've come countless miles and now you must talk?!" The younger male wasn't detoured as he stepped forward and faced the man. "Uh…Santa?... Look, we're grateful that we were on the train, that you have gifts, but…" One interrupted again, "But must this be now?" He sounded almost desperate and Two gave him a sigh, "Honestly, you're making a bigger scene."

"What is to be bothering you, my child?" The man asked in concern and the doll felt a little strained. This being somewhat reminded him of the Scientist; being an older man with a soothing voice. He wanted to just go along with the celebration, but he had to know and blurted out. "We saw the factory under the city, the abandoned one, and the empty buildings… We need to know the truth now. Why were we actually brought here? Why is this place so empty?!" The saddened look on Santa's face was immediate.

"I was hoping to give you your gifts before the truth came out… But very well, little one. Let me explain." Santa moved closer towards Nine and for a second he fought the urge to step back, but it faded as the human began to explain further. "As you notice, or as the young ones saw, I am not fully here anymore. Not just in head either, not here in body as well. Many years ago I became the spirit of Christmas, living to spread the joy during the holidays for all that I could, to make children and adults happy."

The group all nodded and Velvet clutched her book that she got ahold of again, glancing down at it. Santa Claus continued to explain, "I am not human, or I have not been in many, many years. I am now part of the Spirit of the Holidays, which gives life to the North Pole and to the inhabitants. All kept alive through happiness and joy, wonder and belief, and not only in Christmas." He added this part in with a bit of pride, "We began to add more towards the end; the spirit of Hanukah, Kwanza, many more." He casually explained with a chuckle.

"The end?" Nine asked quietly and it was now that Santa's smile almost dropped. He regained it and continued. "It was necessary to stay secret from world. We worked in the shadows, covered our tracks, and did not just deliver gifts. Sometimes we helped family come home for holidays, sometimes we helped a bit more snow to fall, where we could help we would. Every year a group of children were chosen to ride the train here to see the North Pole and enjoy their gifts early. These children would eventually lose their belief in me, and that was fine."

He smiled wider, "I wanted to make them happy. Is not for me, is for children, is for families…" Then, suddenly, Santa's smile dropped, "…And then one day it was all gone." He looked over towards the tree and at the surrounding city, "One year the children were scared of war, the next there were no more children. All of them were gone…" Nine tensed and now Seven spoke, "You mean the war that… that stopped everything." She was going to say 'killed the humans', but decided against it at the last second.

"After the war the elves began to disappear… The spirit was too weak to support them… My reindeer as well, my rabbits and birds, even my engineers and conductor were gone." This was a sign and almost all of them caught it at once. Five spoke in surprise, "So that is our One and Two!" He looked to the conductor and engineer who both looked rather confused as well. Santa nodded, "Is my fault. I needed someone to drive the train, to bring you here, so I… Borrowed them for a short time. They were only ones who were definitely not children."

"That makes some sense. One would never me this compliant," Seven pointed out and Eight fought the urge to go forward, only stopping when he realized how unfazed One was. Instead he simply squeezed the female with the patched legs' hand, as though hoping she will comfort him. "Do they know?" Eight asked and Santa made a 'so-so' motion. "Partially, but the magic is wearing off quick. What keeps them like this now is their own need to see completion of the night, even if they can't see it."

"This wasn't right…" Nine reminded, but was relatively lenient, and Santa nodded, "I know… But this was my last chance." He reached out to lay a hand on Nine's shoulder and the Stitchpunk noticed it waver. It wasn't fully solid and seemed like it could disappear at any second. "I am disappearing as well," The spirit explained to him, "I thought there was no hope, that the spirit of the holidays, that the joy, would be no more. But instead there was hope. Something still there, a light, life."

He clapped his hands onto Nine's shoulders and a puff of light snow seemed to come from the contact. "You are the last of the children, the last who can feel the Christmas spirit, so I brought you here as my last hope. Either… Either your belief, your joy will take the place of the humans and I can continue my work, or…" He hesitated and Nine questioned, "Or?" After a few seconds Santa finished with a reassuring smile. "Then I will be happy with one last holiday. That is all I need to be happy."

Now it was out there and Nine found himself reeling, staring down at the ground as Santa continued. "…Give me your ticket, son," he had a surprisingly eager smile and One did a double take, "Does this mean- He interrupted us and now he receives the first gift?" He was baffled, Nine was as well, but Five defended his friend. "He should get it. If it wasn't his idea to go through the factory we would still be wandering around," He playfully added in and Nine looked to smile at him. The Healer reached forwards to pat his friend's back quickly before pulling back.

"Besides, we all get gifts… Right?" The older male nodded happily, "Of course!" Nine handed over his ticket which he tucked into his front and Santa looked at it briefly before getting an idea, "Ah hah!" He gasped in delight and handed it to One, murmuring something to him. The Leader nodded and got a small smile before beginning to punch away at the ticket, and Santa wandered over to the bag of gifts before pulling something free. It was a large, silver bell that he carried over.

"Nine, this is your gift," he explained. "Only believers can hear the bell ring and when shaken it shall glow. Use it in dark times, worry not as it cannot be heard by ears of beasts, and may it bring you joy." Nine took it into his grasp in awe before shaking it. The chiming delight it released was like music in his audio receptors and he couldn't believe how wonderful it was. "Santa, this is… Thank you." He smiled at the older male in a warm, delighted way. "You… This is the best gift I've ever received. I won't forget this and I won't stop believing in you."

He thought it would perhaps be some sort of consolation, but suddenly Santa grasped his chest and staggered back a step. Nine blinked in alarm and the others watched in horror before suddenly the older male started to dissolve. "What?! No! Santa?!" Nine blurted out, reaching forward as the man suddenly dissolved into snow on the ground. The group of Stitchpunks could only watch in fear and One dropped his hole puncher as the stared at the spot that the male had just been. All was quiet, a silent night, but then suddenly…

With what sounded like an explosion and a bright flash of light the wind burst to life again. In the midst of a glowing, miniature tornado Nine could see a figure emerging. Other lights, about five of them, started to appear around but glowed dimly as though waiting for something. The wind suddenly halted and there Santa stood once more, looking down at himself in surprise. Nine was surprised as well for instead of the human resembling being there now stood before him another Stitchpunk. Santa Claus had fully changed forms.

The older male laughed in delight and came forward, scooping Nine into a strong hug, "You've done it! Ha ha, that was what I needed; I've been born again!" Nine sheepishly smiled as Santa set him down and looked around at the small lights. They started to form into short Stitchpunks as well, with soft fabric, wide optics, and green clothing. "And look! My elves are returning to me!" The tiny Stitchpunks blinked in confusion and some rubbed their eyes as though they had been asleep. "The spirit has been saved… Christmas shall continue!"

There was a joyous wave of emotions over the group as Santa turned to them with open arms. The twins came forward seeking gifts and wanting to give their own assurance. The others started to move forward with their own relieved looks. It was now that One handed over Nine's ticket to him, "Here. I think you will find this fitting." Nine quipped a brow as he took the ticket into his grasp and looked it over. As expected the word 'save' was printed onto the ticket and he exhaled tiredly. "Of course…" He was certain why, but he turned it over.

The punches on the back didn't read 'save' back and instead read 'yourself'. Nine was immediately baffled and turned the ticket over again only to find that 'save' changed as well. Instead it now said 'find'. Flipping them back and forth it now came out as 'Find Yourself', 'save' was nowhere to be seen unless it was counted as 'save yourself'. Either way, Nine found a warmth growing in his chest and looked over to see One now punching Three and Four's tickets who were waiting eagerly.

Santa, meanwhile, was handing over Five's gift to him. "So that you may see further than ever before," the older male insisted and gave him a beautiful spyglass. It was a golden color with silver rings and silver snowflake patterns. Five beamed at it, "How did- How did you know about our spyglass-?" He was confused and Santa chuckled, "We have our ways. Now here is ticket back." At this One handed over his ticket, then the twins' as well. Santa also fished out the gifts for the twins; two well stitched teddy bears and an intricate music box to share.

He then handed a small bag back to Five, "There is more than enough toys to go around!" Five opened the bag to reveal a set of jacks and smiled before showing Nine, "We might make good use out of these." Nine took the bag and started to shuffle through as Santa handed Six a flat case. "Umm, Santa? What about One and Two?" The older male assured him, "It will wear off, but I will make sure is gone by time to leave." At this time One could be head murmuring, "I can't even fathom what they're talking about. What will wear off? Our ability to drive the train?"

They both seemed a bit unable to comprehend the spell. Two began to respond with, "Come on now, it's Christmas. Stop worrying about-." At this moment Six let out a cry of delight, "It's ink! It's all kinds of ink!" He sorted through the case happily at the different samples of various ink colors. "They hold more than they seem, so don't worry about running out," Santa assured and looked to the elves who were rushing to the bag and back. One did Six's ticket before handing it back; Nine could see that it had 'Lead' on it and wondered if it could be flipped.

"Sky, Sparky, you two should come get your gifts," Six assured them and Sparky immediately rushed forwards to do so while Sky lingered back a bit, suddenly losing her nerve. She inched forwards a little bit before Six was able to stand, reach, and grab her hand to lead her forwards. Santa looked to the both with a hum and a nod before raising a hand, "Hold on a moment." He spoke to two of the elves who rushed off to the bag. A few moments later they returned, each carrying something strange.

They looked like small plush toys at first but as the one approached to hand a fuzzy one over, the blond colored one, it suddenly shifted and moved in the new embrace. Sparky now flinched back in surprise while Sky gasped in delight, "What are they?! They're so cute!" Santa chuckled warmly and the other elf holding the brown animal handed it to her. "They are miniature ferrets. They will be a lot of work to train, but should be very rewarding to have. As well, you will get plenty of food to keep them happy."

"I love it!" Sky squeaked in delight and cuddled the sweet ferret which nuzzled against her affectionately. "It's a him and the blonde one's a girl," the elf explained quietly with a small smile before hurrying off to keep working. Sparky now took his cautiously and looked it over with a smile, "I guess I'm your dad now." The ferrets affectionately nuzzled against the Stitchpunks with full delight, lightly licking and teething on their fabric. Santa nodded proudly at his work and continued on.

"Now onto you two," Santa faced Eight and his female companion. "Miss Twenty-Seven?" The female perked and handed over her ticket, which Santa scanned, handed to One, and retrieved a stuffed animal that looked like a cat and handed it over. As she took it he pulled a necklace off of the cat's neck and place it on hers. It was a soft silver color with a shimmering snowflake at the end. She gasped in delight, "It's beautiful! Oh, I can't accept this!" Santa insisted, "Is made specifically for you, dear. Wear it proudly."

The female thanked him and hugged her plush to her chest as Santa now looked to Eight who was the only one not shorter than him. "You I had a hard time creating for," He point out with a playful smile, "but I like a challenge. Careful with these." He had to get his things from the bag while One did Eight's ticket. Nine clearly saw that it said 'guard' on it and, ironically, he flipped it over too. On the other side it said 'family' but when he flipped it back it still said guard on it. Nine wasn't sure why the difference, but smiled at seeing that he wasn't the only one.

"Be careful with these," Santa warned as he handed over a heavy hammer and some sort of lamp. "Light this lamp and it will burn incredibly hot. Put it in an oven and it will burn even warmer. Use this to heat metal, use the hammer to shape, and you will be able to forge weapons like never before." Eight was a little surprised by the offer. "Like blacksmithing? Santa, I thought you worked with toys," Eight pointed out, actually sounding a bit impressed. Santa simply gave a wink and continued onwards to the next Stitchpunk.

This was Velvet, anxiously awaiting her own gift while standing by Seven, and they both handed off their tickets to One before getting them back. Velvet only glanced for a second before Santa appeared before her, "Hold out your hands, I've got you something very special." The female did so only to have something bulky and metal drop into them. With an 'oomph' and a teeter she almost fell forwards, but managed to right herself. "A typewriter?" She asked in surprise and a bit of confusion, looking at the heavy object in her arms.

"And if that doesn't work," he suddenly seemed to spawn a quill out of nowhere. It had a gold tip with a silvery feather body, "then this will." She took it graciously and thanked him before tucking the quill into her hair and hefting the typewriter along. Now he turned to Seven who questioned the ticket, "Defend my happiness?" She quipped in confusion and the male chuckled. "Sometimes it is important to look towards what would make you truly happy," he followed by taking a golden cage that an elf brought over.

"This is a golden finch," Santa introduced, "It will sing for you and scout for you, but will recharge in its cage." Seven felt like there was a deeper meaning to what he was saying, but merely took a cage with a smile, watching as the clockwork bird looked at her curiously. She opened the door and guided her hand in, letting it hop onto her finger and leading it out so she could see it better. It preened itself and chirped like a real bird; pleased with his work the older man moved on.

"Child, is right?" He moved onto the next and Child responded, "Child is wrong. There is no fathomable way that I should be on a 'nice' list." The older got a large, deep laugh and Child tensed a bit, as though thinking he was being patronized. Santa reached into his bag and returned to the male, allowing One to get his ticket before turning to his companions. "Don't have one," the cat resembling male chimed in and Nine wondered if he was related to a Cat Beast.

"What? You either?" He looked to the other who looked sort of looked like it had wings. The male shrugged and the Leader sputtered, "So that would mean that you are both stowaways?! Of course, I should have expected-!" Santa laid a hand on his shoulder, "Is no trouble. I expected as such and have proper gifts for both." He then handed over a stretch of fabric that revealed itself to be a cape. When Child unfolded it he and the others could see the crimson fabric, rich and velvety.

"I didn't think it was even possible to find fabric like this anymore," Child pointed out in awe, folding it over and Nine boldly started to reach out before stopping. Surprisingly enough Child was so in awe that he wanted others to feel and offered it, "Feel this. It's amazing." Nine felt over the softness and was delighted at well. "This is amazing! I couldn't imagine if we'd have been created with this. We probably would spend all our time rubbing our bodies together." Everyone went rather silent after this.

"…Also, have this," Santa handed over a small, box of tiny, tin soldiers as well. "I think you'll have fun with it." He chuckled and then moved to give the other two gifts as well; handing the cat looking male a mechanical mouse with a winding key sticking in its back and the winged looking male what looked to be a silvery slingshot. Now Santa stepped over to None's side and hesitated, the smiled warmly, "And I certainly have more than one gift for you! First, I have this." Nine looked over just in time to see an elf bringing what looked like a lightstaff over.

He gawked at the sight of it and noted that the only different was that the bulb was frosted instead of clear like Nine's was. None took it eagerly and turned it on where it started to let off a blue tinted light. The male was completely thrilled and curious as he asked, "What about the other gift?" Immediately Santa led him to the side alongside Nine. "There!" He announced in sheer delight, "Long lost twin brother! Congratulations!" The two younger males looked at each other and just stared for a few minutes.

"Now then… Ah! Since you'll be heading soon anyway why don't I just rouse you two?" He looked towards One and Two who stared in confusion. "Now then, just keep looking here and-."

* * *

"So that's what happened," Eight explained and One scoffed, not even looking at the male and trying to return to sleep. "Eight, really, you should stop using that blasted magnet. Now go back to sleep." He almost started to fade back to sleep when the Guard coughed and murmured, "Boss… It really wasn't a dream." He looked back to the others before Seven chimed in, "One, pull the blanket down." One mumbled before Seven added in, "One, we're on the train now." The Leader finally started to look back and suddenly delirium seemed to fade.

The Leader promptly let out a cry of alarm and scrambled back on the seat, his back pressing against the window. Seven fought the urge to roll her optics while Eight tried to calm down the older. "It's okay, Boss, really. Look, your gift is right over there and we're almost home. Just calm down and I'll get some nog." He didn't know if One was going to mentally snap or was going to suddenly lose his head but both were a clear possibility. "Is he okay?" Twenty-Seven asked as he passed by her to get a cup of eggnog.

"Yeah… Sort of, but there's a chance of it going either way from here," and he started to head back to give his frantic leader the drink. "He's taking it better than I expected," Five murmured to the others before looking to Two who was wandering around nearby and studying the train. "Two, uh, maybe you should sit down. You might still be unsteady…" Two chuckled and insisted, "It's fine! I'm feeling more than alright!" The others were all sitting and either toying with their new items, nearly napping, or were eating the cookies and drink left out for them.

One of the booths was literally packed with partying Stitchpunks who were talking and laughing. Nine was sided by None and Child while across from him was Child's two companions. They were eating popped corn and talking about whatever interested them; from weird anecdotes to questionable stories. On the other side of the booth; even though the tables had lowered the seats didn't turn back to normal, Sparky and Sky sat with their ferrets curled in their laps. They were discussing possible names while petting their new, fuzzy companions who were more than content to be petted.

Six sat between Sky and the window and was looking through his case at the various inks. Across from him Velvet was trying to practice on her typewriter that managed to somehow not be too heavy for the small table. On the other side of Sparky the twins were squeezed in and cuddled together. Four was laying her back against Sparky and holding her twin, both taking a short rest from all the excitement of the day. Five was sitting at the end of the seat beside Velvet and was turned towards the hall.

Two wandered back over, grabbing two wrapped gifts off of an empty table. "I don't think I can wait anymore at this rate! Here, this should ease One a bit," the Inventor insisted and crossed to where One was starting to become more frantic. "How can this even be possible?! No, Eight, I absolutely do not accept your answer! This is not some sort of magical, fairy tale train!" He was even more distraught by Two's chuckle as he approached. "And this is not funny! How do I not know you weren't secretly behind this?"

"Yes, One. I created a magical train and drove it all the way to the North Pole." He smirked and One muttered before having a red wrapped gift offered to him. "What's this?" Two simply waved to him insistently, "Open it, it's a gift. I have one as well." His own was wrapped in a stormy blue paper and he began to carefully open it as though to save the wrapping paper as best as he could. One finally gave in and started to open his gift, noticing Eight inching off towards a female who he didn't recognized, being Eight's female companion for the entire trip.

Eventually One mocked Two's gesture without a word, trying to convince the male that he could simply leave. Eight gave a nod and dismissed himself without another word. One continued to unwrap the gift to reveal a box which he then opened, revealing a statue and a note. The statue was a replica of the Cathedral, seemingly before the war as it did not have any damage to it, and yet One found himself silently staring at it for a few moments. When he managed to he read the note that was from Santa himself.

" _Thank you for your assistance. Without you the night wouldn't have been a success. I know I can't give you what you truly want, but I can give you a memory. May it bring you joy through the years."_

One stared at the note somberly. He didn't know exactly how to feel and looked over to Two who gasped in delight. "Look at this!" He pulled the item out of his own box. It sort of resembled a snow globe except was filled with water, sand, and various seashells while sitting on a wooden base. "Isn't this marvelous?" Two asked in delight and looked over the glass sphere, "I can't remember seeing such delicate shells in person before. Oh, this will look absolutely wonderful displayed!"

He then noticed One's own gift and became interested, "Is that… The Cathedral?" One nodded slowly, "It is. Isn't it… An exact replica?" He seemed saddened and Two agreed, "Very close if not so…" He wasn't certain what exactly to say, but simply smiled back. It was still clearly a sore subject, but thankfully the squeal of the train's breaks interrupted any further thoughts. A few of the Stitchpunks had to hold on and the jarring sense of stopping, but most of them had already gotten used to the sensation. The light Christmas music playing through the train stopped.

" _Thank you for coming to the North Pole!"_ The light voice was definitely an elf's. " _We were certainly welcome to have you all with us, and to- You know- Be alive again and all. Please, everyone, depart from the train and wait patiently outside at a safe distance."_ A few moments passed before Nine questioned, "Everyone?" He tried to see past None who looked for him, "It looks like we're… I think we're at that Library of yours!" He beamed and Nine smiled, but was confused, "But all of us?"

"It might be some sort of protocol," Child explained and stood. "Grab your things. They might clean this play out while we're gone. I would expect something like that." He seemed amused by his own comment and stood with the others. Sparky meanwhile roused Four who sat upwards abruptly, nearly knocking her twin over in the process, "I guess we're getting off for a while." He gave an amused smile and the twin blushed and smiled back. They stood, the others as well, and soon all of them were wandering to the door.

All of the Stitchpunks filed out into the snow outside of the courtyard gates. The group all stood there for a few seconds until another voice came from the train, like another intercom. "This is last gift. Now it is time to say goodbye for now," it was Santa's voice and sounded like a recording. Seven basically translated this by bluntly stating, "So our gift is the ability to say goodbye." For a few seconds most seemed disappointed until Six spoke, "Better than just vanishing and appearing home."

He smiled, clutching his ink case to his front, and looked to Sky, "Umm, Sky, I… I'm glad we met." She smiled and he looked down a bit, not hiding back his shyness as he looked to her ferret in her hands instead of her optics. Sky smiled wider before getting a slight tinge of sadness, "I… I wish we could've been friends longer… Maybe we'll find each other again? We can't live too far." Six smiled back hopefully, wanting more than anything for that to be true, "Okay… I'll find you." It was a promise. "I'll find you again."

He reached out hesitantly and offered for her hand, and she didn't hesitate to take it. They stood there in the quiet with smiles on their faces. Others weren't as hopeful at their separation, such as Eight and Twenty-Seven nearby. He held her close to his chest and soothingly pet her back. "Don't worry about it. Your home can't be that far off, we'll meet back up," Eight assured her as best as he could while she nuzzled into his chest, forcing a smile, "You're still damp. You're going to freeze out here." Eight smiled and responded with, "Some things are worth freezing for."

He then hesitated and added in, "I'm sorry. That was pretty bad. Just forget I even said it." The female giggled at the addition and continued to rest against him. Three, meanwhile, urged her sister to approach Sparky again and she did, looking to him with the sadness of goodbye in her own eyes. He smiled and without saying a word opened his arms like in a hug, his ferret quickly scaling his arm and resting on his shoulder. She smiled and quickly leapt forward to hug him tightly, the two resting against each other happily.

"So we're just going to be apart again?" None asked Nine in alarm, "I'm going to have to go back to living alone just like that?!" Nine considered it before shaking his head, "No. Just don't get back on the train." He put an arm around his twins' shoulders with a warm smile. "We'll make you a bed- You can even stay in my bed if you want!" He didn't want to lose what was clearly his twin and None smiled back eagerly. "I might just take that offer, if you don't mind!" Nine beamed and now looked over towards Child nearby.

He hesitated before speaking to None again, "I'll be right back." His twin nodded and he headed over to the male's side. "Hey," he announced and Child looked to him. "Hmm?" He asked back and Nine rubbed his shoulder, "Look, about what you said earlier…" He fell silent and Child quipped a brow, "About what? You have to be more specific; I said a lot today." Nine got a playful smile, "You really did, didn't you?" Child looked impressed and Nine simply continued with, "Just… There's no ill will between us."

Child looked a bit surprised and Nine added in with, "Even though I'm still sort of confused about this whole thing. I just wanted you to know before the train left." At this moment there was a loud blare from the train and a puff of smoke spilled out of the top. Nine's optics widened, but he didn't even look over as the train started to move. Child looked over and choked, "You were absolutely not kidding, were you?" Now Nine finally looked over as One could be heard calling.

"What are you doing?! You're forgetting your passengers!" One bellowed after the train as it started to take off and Two, standing beside Five and Velvet, who had been also been saying their saddened goodbyes before this moment, suddenly hummed. "I notice that they didn't saw anyone would be getting… Back on the train?" He offered and One looked to him, then to the new additions, and now sputtered, "Are we expected to supply this many beds in one night?! My word, Mr. Claus certainly didn't think this through!"

The others were a lot more lighthearted about everything and the Stitchpunks started to lead their new guests inside. None paused to turn to Nine and cheekily add in, "I guess I will be taking that offer after all." Then with Nine's own chuckle the male hurried into the Library. Nine lagged a bit behind the others for a moment, stopping to look back at the train tracks. The black rails started to slowly turn white before turning into nothing but snow. Any evidence of the train being there was once again gone and Nine was left with his bell.

He stared at its glossy exterior before closing his optics and raising it. With only a soft shake the delicate ringing could be heard once more, reminding him that what happened wasn't a dream. With a satisfied smile he tucked it back under his arm and followed the others inside of the Library. It was good to be home.

 _ **FIN**_

* * *

 **Mable: If anyone's wondering, Santa is sort of based off of North from 'Rise of the Guardians', but I had trouble instating the accent. So those aren't grammar errors, they're… Accent errors on my part. XD I also was going to have a long thing on the tickets, but due to time constraints it was cut short... Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this Christmas adventure! I know I certainly did and, who knows, maybe the train will return again someday. ^-^ I hope everyone enjoyed!**


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